BrianMSTL

Charleville Brewing Company St.Louis, MO Charleville Brewing Company & Tavern is the latest addition to the hot craft beer scene in Saint Louis. Despite being new to Saint Louis, Charleville has been brewing beer at the Ste. Genevieve location for several years and their beers have been available in the St.Louis area for a while. I stopped in on a Saturday evening after having dinner next door; however, do not make the same mistake I did as there is a full menu available here, making CBC&T a perfect one-stop for dinner and drinks. The inside is more significant than I had expected, there is a large bar and plenty of tables for dining; also, they have a large patio outside. Parking is available behind the Vin de Set building, which is just a short walk across the street. While I didn't try any of their food, I was able to see several orders pass by, and I have to admit that everything looked delicious, so I know I will be back again. The service here was also top-no...

Bur Oak Brewing Columbia, MO Visiting craft breweries has recently become a bit of a hobby for me, and I never pass on the chance to sample some new beer. Luckily I have been fortunate enough to travel over the last year and add many new breweries to my list, and I do not expect that to change heading into 2017. Over the last weekend, I visited Columbia, MO, with several friends, and thanks to Yelp discovered Bur Oak. We arrived on Saturday afternoon, shortly after they had opened the taproom, and were immediately greeted with a warm welcome by the friendly and extremely knowledgeable bartender, Paul. Seriously Paul was an excellent host, and after he discovered that this was our first visit, he gave us a fantastic overview of all their available beers. I would be lying if I said that I knew which beer I wanted, so instead, we started with two flights of 4, which allowed us to sample all their available beers before deciding on one. While I liked all of the beers, I have to say ...

St. Joseph Brewery & Public House Indianapolis, IN I have to admit that I was a bit more impressed with the remarkable architecture of this old church turned brewery than I was with the actual beer, luckily St. Joseph Brewery also has a pretty impressive food menu, which might make it the perfect stop for dinner and drinks. I arrived late on a Sunday evening after sampling beers from several other Indy breweries and stopping off for dinner nearby. Despite the time, the place was packed, but we were lucky enough to grab two seats at the bar. Having just eaten dinner, our primary focus here was beer. So we promptly looked over the beer menu and decided to go with two flights before calling it a night. Even though it was packed, our bartender did his best to stay on top of things, and service was surprisingly excellent, considering he was the only one working the bar. Our flights arrived after a few minute waits, the beer itself was average, most of my Untappd ratings hovered aro...

Modern Brewery Saint Louis, MO Modern is one of the newer brewery to Saint Louis located just off Manchester south of Forest Park, and well worth the trip. The beer here is pretty good; however, I never noticed any flights (but to be honest, that could be a pain considering how crowded it gets at times), yet the friendly staff has you covered with full, and half pours available along with Growlers or Growlers to go. My favorite beers here has to be the Citrapolis (IPA), Odinson (IPA), and the limited release Mon Precieux (Belgian Tripel), however, they do make some pretty solid darker beers too. If you are a coffee drinker, I recommend you go with Arkham's Finest, which is an Imperial Stout brewed with Kuva Coffee and chocolate from Rick Jordan Chocolatier, trust me its good! Inside is small, with only a hand full of barstools and picnic tables; however, there is plenty of room to stand around and socialize or play the corn hole game while enjoying a beer with friends. Be wa...

Three Spirits Brewery Charlotte, NC Work has me travel from time to time, and most recently, it took me to Charlotte, NC, for the second time. On my first visit to Charlotte, I had a bit more time to myself, so I was lucky enough to stop into The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery and Sugar Creek Brewery. Despite being pretty busy, I did manage to stop into Three Spirits Brewery my last evening in town. Luckily Three Spirits was less than 5 minutes from my hotel. I arrived on a Thursday evening and found a nearly empty brewery; however, it didn't take long before people started to show up. Inside, you will find a slightly more industrial feel with open spaces; however, there are some more private seating areas separated by a partition, which seemed perfect for a more casual gathering. During my visit, I ordered two flights, sampling about 75% of the available beers, I even was offered a sample pour of their King Rassafassa, a limited release Saison. While I enjoyed all of my beers, my t...

Black Acre Brewing Indianapolis, IN Black Acre Brewing came highly recommended during a recent stop in Louisville by the staff at Akaska Brewing. I knew that since I would be passing through Indy the following Sunday that I just had to stop in to give them a try, and I am so happy that I did. Luckily I had arrived about an hour or two before check-in time at my hotel, so I had time to spare and what better way to spend it than enjoying a beer or two at Black Acre. Beer Flights I started with a flight that consisted of four 5oz pours; however, you could always opt for a full or a half-pint should you want to commit to a single beer. While I ordered a flight for myself, I was lucky enough to sample the remaining beers to try everything on tap, and I have to say that there wasn't a single beer I didn't like. Even the coffee beer was good, although I am typically not a huge coffee fan. My favorite beers of the visit had to be The Fall of Turlock (Belgian Dubbel) and the Ve...

MadTree Brewing Cincinnati, OH Several customers highly recommended MadTree at Listermann, so we decided to give it a try the following day, and I am happy we did. We arrived shortly after lunch to discover a full house, seriously the inside was packed, but after a few minutes, we were able to get a seat at the bar. Seating inside consists of tables and communal tables; however, if you are lucky, you can snag one of a handful of seats at the bar. If you do happen to get a seat at the bar, you will be in for a show because the bartenders here stay busy, its constant pours, and they are on the top of their game. The inside is more open-air with large fans circulating air, so I can imagine it getting hot on a super-hot summer day. Prices were reasonable; however, samplers range in price based on their tier. 4oz samples start at $1.25 but can go up to $3.00. A tasting Flight is available and consists of 4 (4oz) Tasters. To-Go Beer is also available for growlers refill's, anywher...